Gravity
by 1004-Angel
Summary: He could feel the tension between them, like gravity, pulling him closer and closer… if he was the earth, then she was the sun, and he orbited everything that she was and would ever be as she warmed his being to the very core. And he could tell that she felt it, too. So Adrien gave in to the gravity. Ladrien.
1. Paris, Parties, and Passion

**So while you lovelies are waiting for the next chapter to Flirting With Disaster (which is undergoing a rewrite right now because I had a change-of-plot epiphany), I'm gonna hit you up with a sort of same-universe one-shot to "Concerts, Cars, and Kisses" this time featuring Ladrien! My favorite ship corner.**

 **Special thanks to KiannaCat for beta-reading!**

Gravity

The party, as such events tended to, quickly grew dull. Not in the sense of vibrancy, of course, for the warm and cheerful color scheme somehow managed to lift the spirits of all who beheld them. Polished floors were awash with the reflected grass greens and sky blues that pulsed gently from light fixtures strategically placed to reflect the upcoming spring season in the party atmosphere. Gowns swished around delicate feet as women sashayed across the dance floor with their respective partners. Models, businessmen, and other influential individuals roamed the scene, expensive wine glasses in hand as they chatted up everyone they came across. The chatter of conversation rose above the light and exuberant music performed by the ensemble situated on the stage at the far end of the room.

Adrien smiled his practiced smile. He was currently trapped in conversation with the chairman of one of his father's departments in charge of publicity. Adrien and the chairman knew each other moderately well. As one of the most popular young models in the fashion industry, Adrien had met the older man on a couple of occasions, but they had never spoken beyond polite conversation.

Adrien wanted nothing more than to vacate this spot he had made next to his father. Gabriel paid his son no mind, for he was deep in conversation with the wife of some important official. These parties, held at least twice a year, inducted Gabriel Agreste's seasonal line, and as his son, Adrien was forced to attend, however unwilling the boy might be. It was incredibly dull to Adrien's teenage brain, and he shifted his weight to the other foot uncomfortably.

The only thing he found exciting about the party was that somewhere here, his Lady roamed.

Gabriel had extended an invitation to Ladybug and Chat Noir publically, personally inviting them via television interview to attend his gala. Adrien had been shocked at first, wondering what on earth his father had in mind, but Gabriel Agreste wasn't the most successful man in the industry for nothing. Of course, Chat Noir had turned down the invitation, citing his bad luck and tendency for breaking things as his excuse.

Ladybug, on the other hand, was _ecstatic,_ to say the least. Though she was disappointed that Chat Noir wouldn't accompany her, she quickly accepted Gabriel's invitation via video uploaded to Alya's Ladyblog. The reporter had been overjoyed when she boasted to the class the next day that Ladybug had personally contacted her to upload the video. Adrien, who had been talking to Nino when Alya burst into the room, had smiled to himself as he remembered the expression on his Lady's face as she began to divulge her dream of going into fashion and attending an Agreste gala. He couldn't tell her though, that the cat-boy who stood only a couple feet away was the son of the man she idolized… That would be weird.

Finally, the young model managed to interject politely while the chairman took a breath and excused himself to the restroom, parting ways with a smile. As soon as he was out of sight, he found a pillar to relax against, pressing his back against the cool marble. The suit he wore was unbearably hot, and he welcomed the chill through the black jacket. From this vantage point, Adrien could see the entire ballroom, the crowd of people fluctuating like a wave on the sea, shapes and colors moving and distorting as people milled around or spotted a familiar face across the room.

There was no sign of his Lady, however. He knew she was here; Plagg had spotted her from his spot in his coat pocket. Adrien had no reason to distrust his kwami. Then again, Plagg had refused to tell his boy what she was wearing, which only told Adrien that she wasn't in costume, a fact that remained at the forefront of his thoughts from that point on.

A couple more people tried to engage Adrien in small talk as they noticed him, but quickly seemed to realize that he wasn't very committed to the conversation and politely excused themselves. Adrien's eyes grew weary with every glance, gaze darting to every dark-haired woman in red he could see. Apparently, there were a lot of them.

Adrien pressed the heels of his hands into his eye sockets, pulling a little at the shirt that seemed just a teensy bit too tight at the neck. He figured a trip to the rooftop would ease his mind and clear his thoughts. He sighed heavily and unhitched himself from the wall, grabbing a cracker from a passing waiter's tray as he did so.

The cracker was slightly stale. He gave it to Plagg.

Adrien climbed the staircase to the upper floors, glancing over the railing as he watched the gala grow smaller and smaller beneath his feet. The chatter of incoherent voices faded as he left the gathering behind in favor of solitude. It didn't take long to find the entrance to the roof, and Adrien smiled as the cool night air flushed across his face and soothingly countered the stuffy heat that had accumulated under his collar. He pulled his tie to hang a little looser around his neck, and unbuttoned his cuffs as he reached the top of the set of stairs that opened up onto the wide roof of the venue.

The city lights danced across the dark Parisian skyline like millions of fireflies, sharp against the backdrop of inky blackness that lay beyond. The Eiffel Tower stood taller and brighter than anything else, its lights twinkling different colors and patterns in a vivid dance. Though the Eiffel Tower paled in comparison with the other shining light that suddenly captured his attention.

This was the first time he had seen her out of costume, though she still concealed half of her face with the mask – her kwami's doing, most likely. Her strapless dress exposed her graceful shoulders and arms, currently pressed against the chilly railing where she leaned and stared out over Paris. The red, black-laced bodice accented the small rise of her breasts and graceful curve of her hips, even as they disappeared into the silk black and red asymmetrical skirt that flowed around the back of her calves and exposed her thin knees to the wind. The skirt was sewn into a bright crimson cloth belt that wrapped delicately under her breasts, held together with a rose. Black heels on her feet bestowed a couple extra inches to her height. Her dark, raven hair was pulled into a tight bun on the back of her head, a red silk rose tucked into the dark strands. Dark bangs rustled across her forehead as the wind picked up a little and revealed her Miraculous earrings, the only thing in this world that tied him and her together.

She hadn't appeared to notice he was there, and he was okay to go on staring at her. He might never get the chance to see her again like this, looking so beautiful, so relaxed and at peace, a smile gracing her red lips. Adrien was completely awestruck, and in the back of his mind, he wondered if this was how grooms felt when they saw their bride walking down the aisle.

He finally moved when he caught her shiver, noticing that she had no coat to protect her from the chilly air. Without thinking, Adrien quickly shed his own coat and cautiously approached. She must have heard his footsteps, because she turned suddenly, eyes widening beneath the mask as she realized who it was behind her. It might be the makeup, but he could swear her cheeks turned just a little bit redder.

"Sorry," he apologized. "Didn't mean to scare you."

She quickly overcame her initial surprise, grinning. The string of lights that encircled the railings glowed and cast a golden light upon her beautiful countenance, and Adrien thought his heart might explode. "It's okay. How're you doing, hot stuff?"

Now _Adrien_ was blushing, the blood creeping up the back of neck as his brain went into overdrive, warning sirens sounding in his ears as his emotions ran terrified circles around his consciousness. _Hot Stuff! Hot Stuff! Ladybug called you Hot Stuff!_

"I- uh, well… that is…" He stopped, cleared his throat, and tried again, determined not to stumble over his words like an idiot this time. "Sweet."

Nailed it.

She giggled, the sound like wind chimes in a summer breeze. "Sweet."

Adrien moved forward when he detected a tiny shudder in her bare shoulders as the wind picked up again. Not trusting himself to speak, he wordlessly draped his suit jacket across Ladybug's shoulders, adjusting the shoulder pads so they fit comfortably. She looked at him with a mixture of thanks and admiration in her eyes, accepting his gentlemanly gesture and pulling the coat tighter across her chest as she returned her attention to the skyline.

Adrien leaned on the railing beside her, beating back the little voice in his head that screamed, _She's wearing your coat!_

They remained that way for a couple minutes, standing side by side on that rooftop. Adrien resisted the urge to just blatantly stare at the beautiful girl beside him, lost in her own world as she studied the horizon.

 _Woman,_ Adrien corrected, sneaking a glance at his partner. They had both grown up well, any traces of baby fat exterminated thanks to puberty and constant battles against evil akuma. They grew together, and the changes were so subtle, that one day Ladybug appeared and Chat Noir was suddenly struck with how… _adult_ she looked. Her breasts had filled out, a sight he had tried not to notice but always seemed to zero in on, and even through her glaring red suit, he couldn't see the thin, gangly limbs she had once possessed. Her face elongated slightly, lips a bit fuller, and eyes even brighter blue if that was possible.

Adrien realized he was staring and quickly turned forward again, fighting down the flush he could feel rising in his cheeks and thanking every deity he could think of that she hadn't noticed. He gripped the railing as hard as he could to keep his attention elsewhere.

The silence between the two was welcome in contrast to the commotion of the party below, but something finally prompted the model to speak.

"Do you…"

His voice faltered as Ladybug turned her attention to him, her eyebrows quirked and lips slightly parted in an expression of curiosity. Adrien forgot what he was going to ask.

"…have a light?"

 _Shit._

Now Ladybug's expression morphed into blatant confusion, shifting her weight on the railing to turn her body directly to face him. There was a genuine surprise in her gaze, and Adrien cursed his inability to think in her presence.

"You smoke?"

Adrien forced himself to not break eye contact, breathing deeply as he tried to cover up his blunder with a laugh. "No."

Ladybug seemed to understand that he hadn't meant to say that, and was just trying to break the silence. Her expression relaxed, and she chuckled, holding a hand over her mouth to stifle the sound. Adrien noticed the red and black polka-dotted nail polish that adorned her fingernails.

It suddenly hit the young Agreste that this was the most skin he had ever seen on his Lady, his knowledge limited to her face and the gentle slope of her neck before her damned suit covered the rest of it. He found himself studying her slender fingers, thin wrist, and arms that betrayed the amount of muscle tone that she possessed. If anything, it made her even more attractive.

"I should get back to the party," Ladybug finally murmured, recovering from her giggle fest. It was clear from her tone that she wanted to remain here with him for just a few moments longer. "Your father was kind enough to invite me, and I'm being rude by staying up here."

Her dress swished as she straightened, pulling Adrien's jacket from her shoulders and draping it across the railing. Her heels clicked against the concrete as she began to make her way towards the door.

Time slowed as Adrien was suddenly acutely aware of every move Ladybug made, her warmth radiating from her body as her shoulder brushed past his. His heart rate picked up, a tingly feeling suddenly shooting off like fireworks through his arms. He turned his head, almost in slow motion, watching as the last flutter of her skirt escaped his vision.

He couldn't let this opportunity pass. Ladybug and Adrien in civilian form had skirted each other for the past four years, occasionally running into each other but never exchanging more than a few words before she had to scurry off into battle. But he could feel the tension between them, like gravity, pulling him closer and closer… if he was the earth, then she was the sun, and he orbited everything that she was and would ever be as she warmed his being to the very core. And he could tell that she felt it, too.

Adrien gave in to the gravity.

He moved before he could think. Whipping around, he gently seized her shoulder and turned her body to fully face him. A whiff of perfume drifted in his direction, and the sweet smell of lilacs wafted into his nose. The heat beneath the collar of his dress shirt was making it hard to breathe, but he didn't care. His green eyes held her blue ones with an intensity he himself didn't know he possessed. Her expression was surprised, but she didn't fight, cocking her head slightly as she waited for him to speak.

His eyes drank in what he could see of her face, moving from her eyes to petite nose and finally to her plush lips accented with a shade of red lipstick that probably resembled the color of his face.

Before he could lose his nerve, he dropped one hand to her hip and brought the other to the back of her neck, closing the distance between them as he kissed her, pulling her body as close to his as he possibly could.

Ladybug made a tiny squeak in surprise at suddenly finding herself lip-locked with the only son of the man whose party she was supposed to be attending. Adrien didn't care that the scene was right out of a romance drama, kissing on the roof of a building with a shining city skyline, stray music drifting from the stairs below. It was only him and her, cat and bug, two figures hidden from the world as they shared a tender moment with only the stars as their witness.

Adrien didn't let the contact last long. He drew away slowly, squeezing his eyes shut as his skin prepared itself for the sharp sting of a slap against his cheek. He hadn't meant to do that… Now, she was going to hate him; their relationship was ruined. He wouldn't be able to look at her as Chat Noir anymore without remembering this night, how this corner of the love triangle between himself, Chat Noir, and Ladybug collapsed in an instant.

The sharp sting never came. Terrified, he peeked through his eyelashes to face the repercussions of his impulsiveness. The girl didn't seem angry; on the contrary, the skin beneath her mask was flushed a deep crimson, her blue eyes wide as she stared eye to eye with him. Normally, he was taller, but these heels… The notion that she could look him directly in the eye made his emotional state even more precarious.

"I'm so—" Adrien began.

Ladybug was quick to get over her initial surprise, and brought her hands – _her bare hands –_ up to either side of his face, not leaving any room for talk as she quickly reconnected their lips in a much more needy kiss than the one he'd given. Her mouth moved furiously against his own, extracting a happy grunt from the boy. Adrien pushed away his sudden surprise at her persistence, for once letting his anxieties float away with any other coherent thought he might possess. Her hands gathered in the front of his shirt, pulling their chests even closer together, not allowing an iota of space between them as he in turn rested his hands on her hips.

She was strong, and he didn't fight when Ladybug backed him up until the cold metal of the railing pressed into his lower back and shoulders, sandwiching him between nothing and everything. Adrien's lungs heaved, sucking in tiny pockets of air whenever their lips parted, but it only lasted for a second before they were right back at it with even more aggression than before.

 _Agreste-sion,_ Chat Noir whispered from his subconscious.

 _Shut up,_ Adrien told him.

The world faded around the two teens as they melted, bodies molding together like they had been created to do just that. Stars flashed behind closed eyelids, his senses on overdrive as they tried to compute the sudden influx of dopamine, testosterone, and other hormones his preoccupied brain vaguely remembered learning about in class.

Dopamine on steroids, Adrien decided as Ladybug suddenly ran her tongue across his lips, using his gasp as an opportunity to stuff her tongue into his mouth. Not that he was complaining. His hands began to roam, from the small of her back and to the soft skin of her shoulders, desperate to feel as much of her exposed skin as possible before it disappeared beneath red spandex once more.

As he grew older, Adrien's photo shoots had become much more… risqué. While he hadn't graduated to shirtless yet, he was often featured with young female models in varying poses and outfits that quickly proved that he wasn't a fourteen-year-old boy anymore. And as such, some of those shoots required kissing. There was no emotion beyond the simple act, but over the course of time, he'd become quite good at it.

Ladybug was better. He didn't want to know exactly _how_ she'd gained this experience, this knowledge, this skill that she used to expertly explore him with hands and tongue, since it meant that she had kissed other people, but he was grateful. Adrien was slowly loosing feeling in his legs, and was glad that the railing provided some kind of support for his weakening knees.

Hands, tongues, teeth, lips. Roaming, licking, nipping, caressing.

Adrien vaguely hoped that Ladybug couldn't feel the physical evidence of his pleasure against her thigh.

She was trying to be careful, he could tell. Some part of her remembered that they were supposed to be at a party right now, and going back looking like they'd hooked up in the bathroom wasn't the best picture for their images. Still, this didn't deter Adrien from breaking away from her lips and planting kisses along the corner of her jaw. The scent of lilac was stronger now, penetrating his lungs and sticking to the corner of his lips, spicy against his tongue.

She threw her head back with a sharp intake of breath, angling her neck to grant him more access. Adrien had done this to her. The cool, calm, and collected Ladybug, the Ladybug who constantly refused the affections of her partner, whose duty to Paris was strictly professional, who disappeared after every battle… that hero was reduced to a squirming mess against him, and Adrien added it to his list of accomplishments.

He tried to stay clear of her ears; he couldn't have her Miraculous falling off. So he moved downwards, planting soft kisses along her collarbone, much to her delight, before moving back up to capture her lips with his once again, gently this time. He memorized the way her lips, cold at first but now warm, melted against his own like they were molded perfectly to fit the other. She removed her hands from where they had gripped his shoulders and folded them behind his neck, his own hands firmly on her hips as they slowly dwindled to final caresses.

Ladybug was the one to finally pull back, giving Adrien's lips a couple extra pecks before leaning her forehead against him, keeping her eyes closed and face angled downward. Adrien's own eyes opened drowsily, looking at his partner squirm adorably in her embarrassment, with her cheeks as red as her mask and smeared lipstick barely obscuring the kiss-bruised and slightly swollen flesh. Small strands of hair had come loose from her bun. God, she was beautiful.

Breaths misted from their lips, mingling in the space between their faces. Adrien was still pressed against the railing, and admittedly, it was getting a bit uncomfortable. But he would much rather endure that discomfort if it meant Ladybug remained pressed against him for a few moments longer.

She pulled away first, unwinding her arms from around his neck and retreating a few steps, her hands shaking like she didn't know what to do with them. Adrien gripped at the railing to keep from losing his balance now that Ladybug's supportive weight was gone. She slowly raised her eyes to look at him, and Adrien guessed, based on the breathy giggle that escaped her lips, that he didn't look much better.

"Lipstick."

"What?"

Ladybug flushed an even darker shade, hiding her eyes behind her hands as a pinky finger rubbed the outline of her lips. Adrien gulped. "There's lipstick on your face."

He finally understood what she was getting at, and he instinctively licked his lips. Indeed, the taste of her was still lingering, along with a strange texture he couldn't identify. He pressed his lips to the inside of his shirt sleeve, rubbing frantically to remove the incriminating evidence of his spontaneous make out session with Ladybug.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Ladybug admonished, dropping her hands and staring wide-eyed. "That's high quality stuff!"

Adrien shrugged and glanced at the stain on his arm. "It's fine. I can say I spilled something and just wear my jacket for the rest of the night."

Ladybug looked a bit put out but didn't offer anything more on the topic. She glanced at him once more, and he could see the slightly smudged lipstick on her bottom lip… he licked his thumb and gently wiped the smudge away, secretly giddy at the shudder he felt run through her body. She squeaked out a thank you and retreated back down the stairs and into the event, leaving Adrien standing alone on the roof with lipstick on his face and shirt.

Adrien somehow managed to shake himself from his stupor, grabbing his jacket and casting one last fleeting look at the view before following Ladybug down the stairs. She was already lost in the crowd by the time Adrien finished making himself presentable in the bathroom. The lipstick stain on the inside of his sleeve was easily obscured by his jacket, and the smudges left over on his lips came off surprisingly easy. He ran his fingers through his hair in an attempt to tame it, all the while ignoring Plagg's snarky comments about human mating rituals.

"I bet Ladybug's kwami is a million times nicer than you," Adrien sighed, pushing open the bathroom door once he was satisfied with his appearance.

"Hey, I resent that."

Adrien didn't have time to look for her in the large party room before Gabriel Agreste suddenly took up a microphone and addressed the crowd.

"Good evening! It is my great pleasure to welcome you all here to my annual gala." A brief clatter of applause. "The time has now come to reveal the theme of my new line. And to help me with this, I present to you the inspiration for the designs: the hero, Ladybug!"

A thunderous applause now as a spotlight located the stunned girl, barely visible across the crowd from where Adrien stood. His eyes drank in the sight of her, and almost as if she could sense he was watching, she glanced to the side and their eyes met. He smiled brightly at her, and she grinned back before taking a deep breath and joining Gabriel on stage.

"It is a pleasure to have you here tonight, Miss Ladybug," Gabriel said, all formalities. "Please accept these designs as a token of Paris' appreciation for the work you do."

Doors on either side of the venue opened. From Adrien's left and right, four models, two male and two female, strode with purpose into the room. Both pairs were dressed in designs that were clearly inspired by Ladybug and Chat Noir, the men in black and gold themed shirts and jackets, the women in sexy black and red casual and formal outfits. The models paraded onstage and struck a variety of superhero-like poses (which, for the record, paled in comparison to the real thing).

Adrien himself was speechless; Gabriel never shared his designs with anyone before the unveiling, not even Adrien (unless Adrien was the one doing the modeling, which he'd had to do a couple years previous when one of the male models called in sick). As distant as his father was, the blonde had to admit that he was skilled, and judging by the expression on Ladybug's face, she believed it, too.

She took the microphone when Gabriel offered it to her, and she smiled at the models showcasing the newest designs, who by this point had stopped posing and stood as a pair on either side of where Ladybug was speaking. They smiled back.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Agreste," she said with practiced ease. "But I must correct you when you mentioned the work I do." She turned purposefully to the crowd, the kiss-mussed mess of a girl from only a few minutes ago gone and replaced with the cool and collected Ladybug he'd fallen in love with. "I could never do what I do without the help of my partner and friend, Chat Noir, who unfortunately could not be here tonight. So I will speak for him when I say that we are honored to provide inspiration for such a well-known designer."

Adrien's heart swelled. He wanted to kiss her again. Unfortunately, that would have to wait.

Ladybug returned the microphone and exited the stage as music began to play again, the newfound spring in her step unmistakable. His father was announcing his final thoughts of the evening, something about thanking everyone for coming and looking forward to next season. The night was slowly winding down, and Adrien knew the party would be over soon. His eyes followed Ladybug as she was suddenly swarmed with important people, and by the expression on her face, they were complimenting her dress.

Adrien resisted the urge to barge his way through the fray, grab her hand, and drag her away so they could talk in private. But that would be rude. So he waited until she broke away and located the refreshments table. He wanted to follow her, but would she even look at him? Their secret rooftop rendezvous wasn't exactly a topic of small talk, but Adrien couldn't just _stand_ there. He had to know what that kiss had meant. He'd technically initiated it, but Ladybug was the one who had reciprocated with a kind of ferocity he had never seen in her before. Was it just being in the right place at the right time? Or did she…?

Adrien inhaled deeply, coaxing awake the side of him that currently lay dormant in his mind; the confident, flirtatious, and absolutely hilarious alter ego with whom Ladybug could talk to with ease. Adrien could feel the conviction inflating in his chest, and, with a snickering grin that was every bit Chat Noir, he began to saunter toward the refreshments table, taking advantage of Plagg's seemingly infinite supply of mettle. The awkwardness of their impromptu kiss was still there, but Adrien swallowed it down in favor of a new kind of excitement bubbling in his chest.

"Good evening."

She jumped, nearly spilling her punch. She started to apologize until she saw who it was that had approached, and her sweet smile flatlined slightly into a nervous grin. "Ah, right. Good evening."

"Are you enjoying yourself?"

"Oh, absolutely!" Ladybug seemed to absorb his confidence, her shoulders visibly relaxing. If Adrien looked close enough, he could see slightly darker patches along her collarbone where he'd -

"How about you?" Ladybug asked, and they vacated the refreshments table to loiter by the same pillar Adrien had occupied earlier that evening. "I'm sure these things get pretty boring for you."

"I suppose," Adrien mused, nursing his own punch. This was it… this was his moment, now or never! "I prefer garden parties, though. The band really _turnips_ the _beet."_

Ladybug went still next to him, and Adrien's brain went off at a hundred kilometers a second. Some rampant thoughts planned his funeral, and others beat themselves up for something as unoriginal as _turnip the beet_.

"Did you just…"

Adrien didn't respond, instead meeting Ladybug's incredulous gaze. They stared at each other for a moment before Ladybug suddenly began to laugh, her eyes squinting slightly and mouth open in a pure grin.

Adrien cocked his head, unused to this reaction from his Lady when it came to puns, Chat Noir's or otherwise. "My L-Ladybug?"

"Ah, I'm sorry, Adr-Mr. Agreste," Ladybug giggled, fortunately not catching his slip up. "You just never struck me as the punny type."

Was that a challenge? Adrien thought it was. His heart ached at the thought that she preferred Adrien's jokes over Chat Noir's, but he took it in stride. He'd take it where he could get it. Adrien opened his mouth with a smirk, prepared to unleash possibly the best string of puns he could retrieve from his stock he kept in a special part of his brain for reference, but he was suddenly interrupted by a voice through a microphone.

"And now for the last dance of the night," the voice called over the loudspeaker, and men and women shuffled onto the dancefloor as the ensemble began to play. Adrien glanced at Ladybug from the corner of his eye, gauging her reaction to the announcement. She didn't seem particularly enthusiastic about it, watching with an unidentifiable look in her eye that led Adrien to believe she wasn't quite sure whether to join in or not.

Well, luckily, Adrien was still feeding off of Chat Noir's charisma. He plucked her empty punch cup from her hands and discarded it on a passing waiter's tray. When she looked over in surprise, he flashed a gentlemanly smile, holding out his hand, palm up invitingly. "May I have this dance?"

She looked from his face to his hand and back again, a flattered smile pulling at her mouth. "It would be my pleasure," she said, resting her hand gently in his palm.

This contact was different than before. A warm feeling spread from the tips of his fingers and immersed his entire body like he'd just sunk into a warm bath. The way her hand molded perfectly into his like puzzle pieces, her eyes that reflected the chandeliers dangling above their heads. The lights, the sounds, it was all in slow motion as Adrien and Ladybug floated onto the dance floor, eye contact never wavering as they took up positions with her hands on his shoulders and his on her waist. Adrien's skin tingled where she touched him, and whether it was remnants of their kiss or a new sensation, he couldn't tell.

The music swelled, and they began to dance, Ladybug following his lead as they floated across the floor. Adrien couldn't keep his eyes away from her, and apparently she couldn't tear her eyes from his face, either. Their gazes remained locked on one another as they moved, guided by the music as they shuffled, awkwardly at first, along the floor.

They quickly got the hang of it, swaying together in perfect synchronization, working off of each other as easily as if they were fighting an akuma. The gentle click of her heels kept the rhythm of the music, the blood that pounded in his ears in time to the beat. Adrien was vaguely aware that the other dancers were looking curiously their way, but his attention was solely focused on the beautiful girl in front of him.

Adrien wanted to say something, but he didn't trust his voice to work and simply allowed the dance to do the speaking for him. He wanted Ladybug to know exactly what he felt about her even if he wasn't in costume. As if that kiss earlier didn't clue her in or anything.

The song was quickly ending, and there was a question burning the back of Adrien's tongue. But he didn't ask it, not yet. Not when Ladybug's heavenly blue eyes were gazing at him so intensely like that, and her lips looking perfectly kissable.

The song drew to a close, the final notes piercing the air just before the crowd began to applaud the final performance of the night. Ladybug was smiling at him, shifting her weight as if in preparation to move away. He couldn't let her get away, not when they were so close.

"What were you doing on the roof?"

The question fell from his lips, a perfect alternative to the other thing he wanted to do with his lips at that moment. They stood in their final position, neither daring to move lest the spell be shattered. Ladybug was silent, still looking into his eyes, but her expression suggested she was trying to figure out exactly how to answer him. He wasn't sure what her silence meant; if she didn't want to tell him, or he had no place to ask at all.

He was about to retract his question when Ladybug finally seemed to come to a conclusion. She blinked at him, a mysterious half-smile gracing her features. "Since you're so curious, I suppose I could tell you." She stood closer, leaning forward until her lips brushed at his ear. Shivers exploded down his spine. "Hoping you'd follow me."

Adrien had no time to react before Ladybug was suddenly gone, dissolved into the crowd of departing guests. He stared at the spot he had last seen her, his feet rooted to the ground as his muscles forgot how to function. It was only when his father approached that Adrien forced himself to move, straighten his back and smile brightly.

Gabriel Agreste stood with his son as the last of the guests departed. Without warning, the man placed a hand on Adrien's shoulder, prompting the boy to look up surprisingly at his father. "Excellent work entertaining Miss Ladybug tonight, Adrien," Gabriel said, his voice level and controlled, but there was something lurking there, something Adrien couldn't quite place.

In an instant, the weight was gone, and Gabriel was already halfway across the ballroom, Natalie at his side. Adrien stared after his father, heart swelling even further until he thought his chest might burst.

 _Excellent work._

His gaze returned to the door.

 _Hoping you'd follow me._

An incredible kiss with Ladybug and undeniable praise from his father. Adrien's face split into a genuine smile, deciding that, just this once, a party didn't have to be so dull after all.

 **Three cheers for my longest fic yet at almost 6,000 words! Hope ya'll enjoyed!**

 **P.S., there's a part 2 coming soon, and it may even be turned into a multi-chapter fic!**


	2. Mysteries, Midnights, and Mingling

**Disclaimer: I am making clear now that I wrote this before watching the Miraculous Ladybug origin episodes. If anything contradicts from the origin or other episodes aired recently, it won't and shouldn't change much here but I'm just too excited to get this published to go back and make sure everything remains canonically sound. Future chapter should be up to date with things.**

 **That being said, thanks so much for waiting! You guys have no idea what it means to writer to know their work is appreciated. Thanks KiannaCat for beta-reading! :D**

Chapter 2

Marinette hugged the pillow to her chest, eyes wide and unblinking as they drifted in and out of focus, the beams of her ceiling just blurry shapes in the darkness of her bedroom. The hatch on her ceiling remained firmly shut, but a cool breeze drifted in from the propped open window by the desk, whistling as it rustled the fabric skirt of her gown where it hung on the mannequin in the corner. Her faraway thoughts barely registered the white noise, the movie theater of her mind replaying its feature film on constant repeat.

Marinette had been over the moon when she'd seen Gabriel Agreste's invitation on the news. It wasn't exactly how she had imagined attending an Agreste gala, but it was an opportunity nonetheless, and she latched onto it like a vice.

Chat Noir hadn't shared her enthusiasm, a strange loneliness creeping into his expression as he laughed, no doubt surprised himself at Gabriel's outreach. _Can't have this misbehaving tail of mine breaking things, with my luck_ , he'd said, scratching the back of his head in that way that Ladybug somehow found incredibly sexy, despite Adrien's firm lodging within her heart. She was in love with Adrien, but it didn't mean she couldn't admire sexy when she saw it.

She'd spent countless hours bent over her worktable, sewing and gluing and stitching until she was happy with the end result. Marinette was firmly against going to the party in her glaringly red, spandex suit. It wasn't appropriate for the occasion. She imagined beautiful ball gowns and sharp tuxedos, and anything less than perfect would be inappropriate. Luckily, Tikki assured her that she was able to only partially transform with the mask, granting Marinette a couple extra hours of disguise since it required less energy, which meant there was only the dress. A dress that had to be worthy of Gabriel Agreste.

A dress Adrien would see her in.

Adrien. Oh god, _Adrien_.

Marinette squealed as his stupid blonde face appeared in the movie of her mind, clutching her pillow to her face to stifle the sound and not wake her slumbering kwami. She could feel her heart rate picking up just thinking about him, how sharp and refined he'd looked in that freaking' suit. Puberty had hit them both like a freight train, and god help Marinette if she ever found a more beautiful specimen than Adrien Hot Damn Agreste, made all the more handsome with his stunning disposition and bottomless pool of kindness.

Ladybug had seen Gabriel Freaking Agreste first, making eye contact with him within five minutes of passing safely through the entrance. He was curt, concise, and stern, but she detected also a mysterious aura that seemed to emanate from the man, an aura that she couldn't identify. He complimented her dress (Marinette had to remind herself how to stand after being praised by her idol) and politely excused himself, turning away and walking towards a familiar blonde head across the crowd. She'd debated for the longest time walking up and formally introducing herself to Adrien. She wasn't Marinette, she was _Ladybug_ , Parisian superhero! She could talk to a guy!

Maybe not, Ladybug had sighed for the umpteenth time as she chickened out yet again, managing to duck out of sight just before Adrien had caught her. So somehow she'd ended up on the roof, shivering slightly at the unexpected chill of the night.

Marinette shifted in her bed to lay on her stomach and adjusted the pillow so she could still breathe. The blinking numbers on her nightstand informed her that it was almost two in the morning. It wasn't unusual for Marinette to stay up this late, but the knowledge that she had been lying stock still in her bed for two hours thinking about Adrien was enough to make her groan.

The movie was coming up to the climactic kiss scene. The designer buried her head deeper into the pillow, kicking her feet a little as she recalled turning at the unexpected noise of someone behind her, only to see Adrien Hella Handsome Agreste standing there. The way he'd _looked_ at her, like she was made of solid gold and he was perfectly content to go blind staring at her. And then he'd _kissed_ her.

It was a move she hadn't expected at all, turning to go back into the party and be social like she was supposed to, only to have his hand on her shoulder and his lips on her mouth, eyes half-shut seductively and nose rubbing against her own. There she was, kissing the _love of her life_ , and she couldn't move to return the gesture.

He'd pulled away after a couple chaste seconds, his eyes squeezed shut as if he expected her to slap him for forcing himself on her. Well, she couldn't have Adrien thinking that she hated him. What better way to convey emotion than a heavy make-out session straight out of a cliché romance movie?

His lips, his shoulders, his back, she wanted to feel it all. Marinette could clearly recall, as she struggled not to melt into the mattress, that he had tasted like punch and the barest traces of mint, lips slightly chapped but far from unpleasant. Adrien Señor Sexy Agreste was a _fantastic_ kisser. He was also a submissive type, Marinette had been surprised to discover when he had let Ladybug pin him against the railing, despite the undoubtedly uncomfortable iron bars.

Marinette's wiggling roused Tikki, the little kwami yawning loudly as she pushed herself into a more comfortable position in the tiny shoebox bed Marinette had made for her. "Marinette," Tikki slurred, blinking drowsily.

"Sorry, Tikki," Marinette sighed. "I just can't sleep."

"Thinking about Adrien?"

 _Tikki is the sharpest kwami ever,_ Marinette decided. (Considering she'd never met Chat Noir's…) The girl nodded as best she could, face-down in her pillow, and Tikki sighed knowingly. "What are you so worried about?"

Marinette turned her head to face the tiny red creature. "I don't know, Tikki… We kissed, and it was _amazing_."

"I'm sensing a 'but' here."

"But," Marinette conceded, her eyes downcast as she once again recalled the way Adrien had looked at her after their kiss, as they danced. There had been a glowing admiration in his expression as he smiled, eyes never wavering from her own. She'd never seen her classmate and friend look at anyone like that before. "But he was looking at Ladybug like that. He kissed _Ladybug_. He doesn't look at Marinette like that."

Tikki pursed her lips, used to Marinette talking about her alter ego as if Ladybug was an entirely different person. "But you're Ladybug," the kwami insisted, floating over to settle on the pillow near her girl's confused face. "If Adrien knew who you were, I think he'd look at Marinette the same exact way."

Marinette's eyes flicked up to meet her kwami, a warm feeling growing in her heart. "You think?"

"I know," Tikki amended.

It didn't do much to ease Marinette's inner turmoil, but she smiled for Tikki's sake, and rubbed the kwami's head affectionately. "Thanks, Tikki," she said.

In answer, the kwami snuggled in the warm curve of her chosen's neck, antennae tickling Marinette's chin. Marinette curled in closer around her kwami, grateful for the support, but still unable to tear her mind away from Adrien.

Through the next couple days at school, Marinette couldn't even look in Adrien's direction without turning a deep shade of crimson. He would greet her warmly on the front steps, and though she had gotten better at talking to him over the years, now she suddenly devolved back into a sputtering mess. She couldn't tell Alya the reason for her sudden nervousness around the model, despite her friend's endless stream of questions.

It finally got to the point that Adrien himself asked her what was wrong, if he had done anything to make her hate him. He'd cornered her in the back of the library that Wednesday during break, eyebrows knitted together and mouth slightly parted in a nervous frown as he awaited her answer. And that ripped at Marinette's insides. That expression didn't belong on his face. It was pain, hurt, rejection, fear that someone he trusted and considered a friend would suddenly avoid him altogether. What Marinette knew of his home life wasn't good, and she realized that her avoidance of him reflected the neglect he grew up with. She wanted to cry right there, wishing she could admit to him what he wanted to hear. _I'm Ladybug._

"I'm just going through some stuff right now," Marinette told him. "It has -" _Everything_. "-nothing to do with you."

Adrien looked slightly relieved, but the nervousness was still there as he smiled. "I'm glad. I really like being friends with you, Marinette."

Friends. That was all she was to him, a treasured friend. Friends don't make out on secluded rooftops. Friends don't look at each other with warmth, love, and longing in their eyes as they dance in perfect sync across the floor. Friends keep secrets. Friends tell lies to protect themselves from getting hurt.

Those thoughts circled through her mind like a cyclone, jumbling up all her emotions into such a discombobulated mess that Marinette could barely think straight. And it was starting to show in Ladybug. Patrols the couple of nights following the party were clumsy and unfocused as she kept tripping, missing jumps, and being overall distracted. Her distress did not go unnoticed by her concerned partner, who finally voiced his concerns that same night.

"You sure you're okay?" he asked again for the maybe tenth time during their Thursday evening patrol, and she looked up at where he sat perched on a chimney high above her. His cat eyes glowed in the blackness of night, and Ladybug could swear those eyes could see through more than just the dark.

"I'm fine," she said again for definitely the tenth time. Chat didn't look convinced, but he knew when Ladybug needed her alone time.

"I think I'm going to turn in early," he said, standing and arching his back in a satisfying stretch. "But before I go…"

He hopped down and came to stand directly in front of his partner, a look on his face that Ladybug couldn't identify. Regret, maybe? What did Chat have to be regretful about? Ladybug inhaled deeply as he suddenly wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her into a hug, pressing his cheek against her own in an affectionate but non-romantic way. Like a cat cuddling against your shoulder.

"You can talk to me about anything, you know," he said comfortingly, one clawed hand reaching up to gently stroke her hair.

Ladybug was used to Chat's affection. He showered her with it on a daily basis. But this was a completely different side of him that she wasn't used to. It was… pleasant. Comforting. His breath on her ear, ticklish but not unwelcome. A deep purr rumbled against his chest and thrummed through her body. The warmth, the closeness, the emotion Chat was putting into such a simple action as a hug… The feelings she had been trying to repress began to bubble and froth until the pressure behind her eyes finally released as the floodgates opened.

She gripped the back of his suit as she began to cry into his chest. Why was she crying? Why did she feel so confused? She should be happy, right? She'd kissed the love of her life, and he'd kissed her back. They danced together, all Cinderella-like, and then she'd disappeared without a trace, not even leaving a glass slipper behind for him to remember her by. So why…?

Chat didn't say anything, simply letting her sob into his chest, probably getting snot all over his costume. He stood there and held her while she cried, supportive and caring. He continued to purr and rubbed her back, the circular motions doing the trick as Ladybug finally began to calm down, hiccuping a few times before pulling away.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

Ladybug ran her hand over her eyes to clear the last of the tears from their ducts and settled on the roof where they stood, dangling her legs over the edge and staring out over the Parisian skyline. With a jolt she realized that they were near the party venue, the view now almost the exact same as the other night when she and Adrien had-

Chat sat next to her, crossing one leg lazily over the other as he followed her gaze across the city. "Who do I need to go beat up for making My Lady cry?" he asked in all seriousness, gloved hands gripping the edge of the tile.

Ladybug shook her head. "It's not his fault."

Chat's leather ears flicked at the pronoun, standing sharp on his head as he whipped around to stare at her. " _His_?"

Ladybug nodded, drawing her knees to her chest. "It's no big deal."

"Obviously it is if you have to cry about it. What did he do? What's his name? When I get my claws on him-"

"Please, Chat," Ladybug mumbled into her knees. "It's just… I have a lot of conflicting thoughts and emotions and it's messing with my head."

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Ladybug looked over at her partner, ears still perched straight up on his golden hair, green eyes piercing but also calm as he tried to create an atmosphere for her to feel comfortable in, but also still stewing over the fact it was a boy who had been the cause of her breakdown. She almost smiled at the reminder of how much Chat Noir really cared about her.

Ladybug looked back out over the city. "It's just… remember the Agreste Gala I went to the other night?"

If it hadn't been so quiet, Ladybug might have missed Chat's sharp inhale. She glanced in his direction, letting out a tiny puff of a giggle as she took in the cat's swelled cheeks and wide eyes, looking like she'd just confessed her undying love for him. She wasn't sure what she had said that might elicit such a reaction, but she dismissed it.

"Y-yeah," Chat finally breathed. "Did you meet someone there?"

Ladybug nodded. "You could say that."

Chat waited for her to continue speaking. She tried not to swallow her tongue as she struggled with how to form the sentences she needed to appropriately explain the hellfire of a teenage girl's emotions.

"I'm just so confused," Ladybug began. "I… He… I mean, we…" She took a deep breath, checking once again to make sure that her partner was listening. Indeed he was, leaning in her direction with ears forward, eyes wide. He's way too into this.

"We kissed, okay? We kissed, and I don't know what to do."

Ladybug squeezed her eyes closed, waiting for the ramifications. She was aware of Chat's feelings toward other boys getting too friendly; a couple years ago he'd almost tackled a reporter who got a little too close for his comfort. His slightly overprotective nature towards her was cute, but she was also her own person and felt that sometimes his childish possessiveness was unnecessary.

So to say that she was surprised when Chat Noir didn't immediately break into a stream of caterwauling was a gross understatement. His expression was hidden, eyes unreadable and his lips drew into a thin line as if he was unsure how he was supposed to react to her confession. "What to… do?" he finally asked.

Ladybug nodded slowly. "I'm confused."

"You kissed."

Another nod.

"Did you like it?"

"Too much."

"And he liked it, too?"

Ladybug sucked on her bottom lip, a nervous habit she had picked up recently. "I think."

"So what's confusing? You like each other, right?"

Ladybug struggled to form an answer that would make sense to someone other than herself. "Because… it's complicated."

"If it's weighing on your mind, my Lady, you know you can talk to me about it."

"It's just that…" Ladybug wondered briefly if she should quit while she was ahead. She trusted Chat Noir, that was obvious, but she had never shared so much of her personal life with him before, and she was treading on thin ice. But… Chat was a guy, right? He should know how guys think.

"It was Adrien Agreste, Chat," she finally conceded. It wasn't like her partner would know who he was; even if Adrien's face was on billboards all over the city, anyone who wasn't into the fashion industry wouldn't really know him. Chat didn't strike her as the fashionable type, even if he did rock the black leather. "He's a famous model in the fashion world, the son of the guy whose party we were invited to." Ladybug was rambling now, talking animatedly as if the frantic movement would better illustrate what she was trying to say. "And I went to the party and ended up making out with Adrien on the roof and I totally didn't mean to but it was the heat of the moment, and I guess because I love him I just-"

Chat let out a noise like a strangled cat, doubling over as he devolved into a coughing fit. Ladybug trailed off, looking over at him in concern as he pounded his chest with a fist to get his lungs back in working order. "Sorry," he wheezed, and unless Ladybug was mistaken, his face was significantly redder. "I, uh… pigeons?"

Ladybug nodded. His allergy. It wouldn't be unusual for stray pigeon feathers to be lying around.

"So… ah, you… love... Adrien? This model guy?"

She nodded again. "I do. I can't explain it, Chat." An almost wistful expression crossed her face. "He's just so handsome, and kind, sweet, funny, and he's so _smart_ and _talented_. He plays piano, speaks fluent Chinese, fences and plays basketball, all on top of keeping up stellar grades and his modeling." She ticked off Adrien's accomplishments on her fingers as if it would make him more real. "I don't know what to do, Chat. I love him… I really do, but…" The giddiness evaporated instantly, and Ladybug withdrew back into her huddled form. "He doesn't love _me_."

"What would give you that idea!?" Chat's voice betrayed undertones of urgency.

"Because," Ladybug continued tentatively, unsure of how Chat would take what was to come. While both of them had exchanged vague stories from their personal lives to let off steam (Chat usually complained about his part-time job, while Ladybug often ranted about something that had happened at school), she had never truly shared her insecurities about being Ladybug with him before. While she knew that the catsuit gave Chat Noir an outlet from his, as he described it, empty home life, Ladybug had hesitated to share her thoughts regarding the balance between her civilian and hero lives.

"Because all he knows is Ladybug," the polka-dotted heroine murmured, not trusting to look over and gauge Chat's reaction. "That's all he loves. He loves the _idea_ of being in love with Ladybug, but he doesn't know _me_ , y'know? The clumsy girl behind the mask, the girl who-" Ladybug stopped herself before she gave away something that might reveal her identity. "Anyway… I guess I'm just a bit insecure. What if I decide to tell him who I really am and he doesn't want me?"

The force with which Chat gripped her shoulders was unexpected. She let out a small gasp as her partner turned her to face him. His green eyes burned as they stared intensely into her own surprised blue ones. "That's impossible," Chat insisted with a sort of determination in his tone that left Ladybug reeling. "If you think he really loves you, then it won't matter if you're in costume or not. He'll love everything about you."

She felt tears well up behind her eyes again as Chat repeated the very same advice Tikki had given her. The firmness of Chat's voice and the positivity it presented made her incredibly grateful for his presence and unwavering support. Perhaps, if Adrien weren't here, she would have fallen for Chat Noir instead. He looked at her in ways Adrien never had, made it clear that he accepted everything about her and would protect her with everything he had. In all their years together, since Chat Noir had first appeared in Marinette's life, he had proven himself to be an irreplaceable person in her mind. What if she…?

"Maybe you should go talk to him again," Chat was suggesting, pulling Ladybug back to the rooftop. "Get to know him more. Get to know him, and let him get to know as much about you as you're comfortable." He grinned encouragingly. "Guys are stupid, and we don't know when a girl likes us. Who's to say it might not go somewhere?"

"Where's this advice coming from?" Ladybug questioned, finding enough strength to tease. "Never would have thought you'd be giving me advice on my boy troubles."

Chat cocked his head, his grin becoming more mischievous. "Who knows? Maybe I have an ulterior motive."

Seeing Chat acting like his usual flirty self lifted the cloud of anxiety that swirled around Ladybug's mind. She gently pushed him away, smiling brightly. "Thanks, Chat."

"Anytime, my Lady."

The remainder of patrol passed without a hitch. Ladybug made a point to avoid the dance venue, despite her reassurances that she was better. Thankfully, Chat didn't push her, even taking the lead as he took their route through an extensive detour, bypassing the location altogether. Ladybug wouldn't wonder until later how, or even if, he had known that that particular hotel had been the place where she had screwed everything up.

They split up soon after one in the morning, Chat once more reminding her to face her troubles head on rather than stewing unnecessarily over them ("Have you even _seen_ an Asian drama?") before taking off for home.

Ladybug remained for at least an hour after Chat departed, staring wistfully in the direction of the Agreste mansion. Adrien would be asleep by now, probably after a long day of rehearsal; the official event to showcase Gabriel's newest lineup was well under way. Standing there alone in the darkness, Ladybug reached up and pressed her fingers against her lips, finding herself wishing to once again feel the sensation of Adrien's warmth pressed against her body.

Would it be too much to visit now? It was very late (early?) and Ladybug didn't want to rouse him from the sleep he very much deserved.

Or would he be awake like she was, running over their kiss in his mind and thinking about her? Did he lay in bed for hours, staring at the ceiling as he wondered what kind of person she truly was, under all the bravery and self-confidence? Could he even possibly fathom the notion that the very person he thought he loved sat directly behind him?

These questions that burned in Ladybug's mind finally prompted her to take a running start across the rooftops, vaulting over chimneys and flying over dark alleys as she approached the Agreste mansion. She had to know exactly how Adrien felt; about the kiss, about her. Chat was right; avoiding him, especially as Marinette, wouldn't do anything to fix her problem. Ladybug didn't run from a challenge. Ladybug body-slams her challenges and puts them in headlocks until she figures out how to defeat them.

Ladybug landed on a neighboring building, providing her a clear view of Adrien's home. The only light on at this late hour belonged to what Ladybug first assumed was a sort of lounge, with a television and couch, some arcade games and even a freaking skating ramp, with a bookshelf nestled onto the second floor. She was so taken with the brightness of the colors that she barely noticed the dark grey bed nestled in the corner. _Bedroom_ , she corrected herself.

Wait. Was this _Adrien's_ room?

Her questions were answered as said boy suddenly came into view, toweling his hair as if he had just gotten out of the shower. For what reason he would be awake and taking a shower at two thirty in the morning, Ladybug didn't ponder, for she was trying not to stare too much. She occupied her thoughts with other things as she waited for him to put on a shirt, like maybe how was she going to start talking to him, assuming she didn't melt first.

She could knock on the window, scare the living daylights out him.

She could open the window herself and waltz in, scare the living daylights out of him.

She could… scare the living daylights out him.

Ladybug slumped her shoulders, turning her face away from his windows. There was no clear way to initiate this inevitably awkward conversation. She didn't have any plans beyond "Hello," and almost gave up, mentally preparing to leave and wallow in her uncertainties until morning, when a voice pierced the night air.

"Hello?"

Ladybug looked up in surprise, stunned to see Adrien leaning halfway through his window (fortunately, or unfortunately, now fully clothed), peering through squinted eyes in her general direction. Ladybug swallowed. He'd seen her, or glimpsed her. He knew she was there. Ladybug heaved a breath to calm her shaking limbs. The hard part was over now. Now she just had to not screw this up. She could do this. He didn't know who she was; she could play the role of a confident superhero. Fake it 'till you make it, right?

Before she could lose her nerve, Ladybug lurched to her feet and took a running jump. Years of practice had ingrained in her the instinctual energy necessary to carry her across the wide gap, and timing it so that she landed directly beside the blonde boy. With one hand gripping the window sill so as to keep her balance, she planted her feet against the clear glass and let her free hand perch on her hip in what Ladybug hoped was a cool superhero pose. "Hi there, hot stuff."

Yes, good. This was a good start.

Evidently, her opening line was right on the money. Adrien, who had turned with a jolt when she had landed on the window next to him, was currently biting his lip as he stared at her with those _freaking green eyes_ of his in an apparent attempt to stop the flow of blood rushing to his cheeks. It didn't work. His hair was still slightly damp, clinging to his forehead and glinting with remnants of shower water whenever he shifted. That image, coupled with absolute star struck expression on his face, was absolute gold. Ladybug wished she could freeze that expression on his face long enough for her to grab a camera.

"L-Ladybug?" he managed, recovering enough from his mental freak out to compose himself. "What are -"

"Got a minute?" Ladybug asked, smiling pleasantly.

"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah."

Adrien stepped backward, allowing her enough room to maneuver gracefully through the window. His bedroom was much larger than what it had seemed from the rooftop across the road, and she quietly observed the surroundings while he shut the window. It was like any teenage boy's room, even if it was a well-off teenage boy; posters on the wall, basketball hoop, gaming consoles. But despite the expensive equipment, there was still an air of modesty about the place, like Adrien was almost embarrassed to have so many things.

"Um, Ladybug?"

The heroine clasped her hands behind her back, fiddling with her fingers so he couldn't see how nervous she was. She turned to face him, a genuine smile on her features. She could feel the nerves pumping adrenaline into her veins, the pent-up energy thrumming through her limbs as she was faced with the boy with whom she'd shared an intense kiss. "Hm?"

"I… wasn't expecting you."

"I wasn't expecting to come."

Adrien shuffled nervously, one hand scratching the back of his head in an achingly familiar gesture that Ladybug couldn't quite place. It was obvious what he was thinking about, and Ladybug's face grew considerably warmer at the memory, of his hands on her hips and his mouth on... She quickly snapped back to the present. She wasn't about to let her mind wander when she was a bug on a mission.

"Listen, Mr. Ag-"

"Adrien."

"Sorry?"

"Just Adrien."

"Listen, Adrien," Ladybug amended, stepping forward with a purpose. Now that she didn't have on her heels, she was a good several inches shorter than his broad-shouldered frame, and she had to crane her neck to look him in the eye. Her hands subconsciously weaved her yo-yo string between her fingers, needing something to do with the excess energy. "About the party, I-"

"I'm sorry," Adrien blurted out, hands gesticulating wildly in front of him like he didn't know what to do with himself. "I know I probably shouldn't have done that, it was inappropriate, and I wanted to talk about it earlier but then I didn't get to and I just really, _really_ admire you, Ladybug, and I-"

Ladybug listened to him ramble, only half-hearing what he was saying. This expression was too similar to the one he had given Marinette when he thought she'd been avoiding him (which technically she had been, but that's beside the point). Knitted eyebrows, pained expression, tense shoulders. It didn't match what he was trying to say. It was some kind of convoluted confession, Ladybug supposed, the way he began going on about how much he admired her and appreciated her. Hearing Adrien spout off why he liked her-Ladybug-warmed her heart but did little to remind her that the famous superhero was the only side of her he knew. And yet...

Adrien was still talking, nervously avoiding looking at her as his hands alternatively waved wildly and scratched the back of his neck. The gestures were all so... _Adrien_. So… enthralling. Like it was some kind of pull in her gut, a fishing line caught in her heart and with every wave of his hand or awkward grin he was reeling her in, and no matter how much she wriggled, there was no escape.

Ladybug closed the distance before she could stop herself. She placed her hands on his shoulders for balance as she rolled up on her toes to press her lips quickly to his, effectively shutting him up.

Adrien was frozen, whatever he was going to say dying on his tongue. Through her eyelashes, Ladybug could see him staring wide-eyed down at her as his cheeks turned a bright shade of red. This wasn't what she had in mind coming here tonight. She had simply come to talk, to figure out what that night had been, what it had meant for both of them. But looking at her long time crush, directly in front of her, talking and talking and _just not kissing her_ … She wouldn't stand for that.

Adrien's surprise was short-lived. He quickly regained his bearings and kissed back with an incredible force Ladybug wasn't anticipating, opening her eyes wide when his arms suddenly wrapped around her shoulders, fingers massaging her scalp as he moved his mouth against her own. She melted against his touch, completely closing her eyes and letting herself be swept away into the land of milk and honey.

Adrien sighed happily, and she took the opportunity to press her tongue against his bottom lip. He accepted the invitation without fuss, allowing her to pry his jaw open and taste the minty fresh toothpaste that still lingered on his breath. This kiss was less frantic than their first on the roof, but somehow that just made it all the more passionate. The slow caresses, the careful strokes, the turning of heads for deeper kisses. The way he ducked his head to match her shorter height. It was invigorating, satisfying, and utterly _blissful_.

Somehow, Ladybug had moved forward, guiding Adrien backwards until his knees hit the couch. He sank into the white cushions, his hands moving to cup her face as Ladybug followed, shivering as the cold metal of a ring poked at her cheek. Her hand moved from its spot on his shoulder to flatten below him as she gently guided him downwards, not once breaking the hurried stroking of her lips against his, while the other busied itself with examining the planes of his chest through his thin T-shirt. Their legs twisted and entwined in an effort to align their bodies comfortably, Adrien's bare toes tracing the line of her shin.

Adrien's back against the couch seats, her somehow straddling him. Funny, how a simple kiss can turn into making out so quickly. His hand on her back, pulling her closer to him, the other around her shoulders as if afraid she would float away. The way he held her, so tenderly, gently, a way that contradicted the furious way he attacked her mouth with heated breaths stolen by aching lungs before once again diving back in for more.

Ladybug's chest pressed against his. She could feel the erratic beating of his heart beneath the hand that had discovered the hem of his shirt, slipping beneath the rumpled cloth in favor of slowly tracing the fine lines of his torso. He hummed into her mouth, skillfully taking her bottom lip between his teeth, and she had to stop herself from moaning aloud.

She broke away from his lips and moved down his jaw, smiling at the almost cat-like noises that escaped him as she kissed her way towards his neck. She found a particularly warm spot just below his ear, and he angled his chin to grant her better access with a groan. She licked at the patch of skin, pleased at the shudder that ran down the length of his body.

 _"Ladybug…"_

His breathy whisper jerked her out of her lust-crazed stupor. In her trance, she had forgotten that she wasn't Marinette. Adrien wasn't kissing Marinette. He was kissing Ladybug. Ladybug, whom he would never truly know, no matter how much she wished she could let him in.

Ladybug jerked back, practically flying off the couch as she retreated to the window, hands covering her mouth as she tried to quell her pounding heart. She could hear Adrien shift on the cushions as he sat up, the rustle of his pajama pants as he stood and took a few steps towards her. She watched his reflection in the clear glass, slightly warped by the dark shapes beyond, as he came to stand a few feet behind her. His expression was distorted but still clearly identifiable as confused hurt.

"Ladybug?"

She shook her head, pigtails flying wildly. "I shouldn't have come here."

"Wait, Lady-"

She fumbled with the latch on Adrien's windowsill, her shaking fingers unwilling to cooperate. It could have been minutes or hours, Ladybug couldn't say, before she finally managed to unlock the window, jumping up to crouch on the pane, reaching automatically for her yo-yo. She didn't dare look behind her, at Adrien whom she knew still stood there, watching her every move. _Don't look, don't look, don't look._ If she did, she wouldn't want to leave, and Ladybug didn't know how much more of this heartbreak she could take.

Just as Ladybug was about to swing away, she felt a gentle hand wrap around her wrist, holding her in place. "Please, wait."

 _Don't look, don't look, don't look…_ Ladybug chanted, squeezing her eyes closed as if it would somehow make Adrien vanish. It didn't.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you," Adrien was saying, seeming content when she didn't immediately pull from his grasp. "But I _really_ like you, Ladybug. If we've moved too fast, that's okay. It's just…" his voice faltered. "I haven't ever wanted to kiss anyone so much before. If it's okay with you, maybe we can... start over? Be friends?"

 _Don't look, don't look, don't look._

"I'd… like that," Ladybug heard herself saying, and she could feel Adrien's relief wash over her like a tidal wave.

"Great! That's, uh, great! So… um… see you tomorrow?"

Ladybug pulled her hand away from his, shivering involuntarily as his fingers traced the inside of her palm, like a silent plea, before falling away. She wanted to turn, to take in Adrien's perfect face, that almost childlike grin framed by kiss-bruised lips. She wanted to jump from the windowsill and continue to kiss him senseless. She wanted bury herself in his arms, inhale his scent and fall asleep against his chest. But Ladybug didn't do any of those things.

Instead, she locked her gaze on a nearby chimney, perfect for swinging. "See you tomorrow." She said, and added, almost as an afterthought, "Hot stuff."

She threw her yo-yo and swung away before Adrien had the chance to respond.

.o0o.

 **6100~ words! Phew! Can't guarantee every chapter will be this long, but... hm. Stay tuned for part 3!**


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